Culvert.



WILEIAE E arenas r nse-earn, or also hopes, moN'mNa.

convene. p

application filed April whom it may, concern: lde it known that I, Wrmiar/i: d. FRANK- nrsr, a citizen of the United States, and a ate sections and two end sections.

;, ing in the resident of Red Lodge, in the county of Carbon and Eitate of Montana, have in rented a new and useful. Improvement in Culverts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in colr'erts, and has for its object to provide a device of the character specified, composed cl. reinforced cement or plastic material capable of hardening and. of sectional form,

the sections and the reinforcements being so constructed and arranged that the sec tions may be rigidly connected together to provide for culverts oi various lengths.

in the drawings :-Fignre l a side view of a length oi? culvert composed of sections joined together, Fig. 2 is a front view of one of the end sections, Fig. 3 is a similar view of the other end section, Figs. L and are enlarged sections on the lines li and 5-5, respectively, of- Fig. 1, Fig. l lookdirection of the arrows adjacent to the line, and Fig, 6 is a reduced and view of an intermediate section. V v

The culvert length shown in Fig. l is composed of five sections, three interniedi' Each of intermediate sections is a frame, consisting of a straight bottom 1 and an arch 2, the arch and the bottom being integral. The openings through the sections 1 2 are of the desired size, and it will be nnderstood' that the said sections or blocks may be of any desired size, either as regards the opening or the thickness of the 'inateria'l that encircles the openings. it will be noticed from an inspection of 1 that the faces of the blocks 1 arenot perpendicular to the base, but the said faces are inclined with respect to the base, the faces being or course parallel. The sections or blocks l2 may be of any desired length, and as many of these blocks may be used to form the colvert as may be necessary, The end blocks and lare rectangular in form, each havthe opening 5, corresponding in size tothe opening through the blocks 1.-2, and

the faces of the blocks 8 and perpendicular to the base.

"Each of the blocks 3 and i is provided with a rib on its inner face, the rib encircling the opening and corresponding in shape and thickness to the shape and thick- Epeclflcation o Letters Patent.

a Patented Dec; 3-, 1914,,

erial $0. $38,987.

ness of the blocks 1-45. The rib 6 of the bloclr 3 is of greatest thickness at the bottom of the block, and at the top of thearch the said rib merges into the adjacent face, of the block 3. The rib 7 of the block 4 is, oppositely arranged to the rib 6, so far as its thickness-is concerned, the rib being of greatest height at the top of the arch and gradually decreasing inheight to the bottom of the-block when the rib merges into the adjacent fiace of the block.

The arrangement of the ribs 6 and the blocks 3 and 4 is such that when the blocks 3 and 4 are placed at the ends'of the culvert body formed by the blocks 1-2, the outer faces of the. ribs '6 and 7 will fit. smoothly against the adjacent ends. of the blocks 12 when the blocks 3 and 4: stand with their faces perpendicular.

. The several sections of the completed cul vert are locked together by means of links 8, each block being provided with two'links,

and the links are arranged at opposite sidesof the openings of ribs 6 and 7 in the the links 8 of theblocks 12 extends beall the blocks, andat the yond that face or end of thc block whichmakes an obtuse angle with the base, and the said end of the link is provided with a downwardly depending lug 9. The lugs 9 are spaced from the adjacent face or end of the block, as, shown more particularl in Fig. 4, and each of the links inc ines sli gi lkiltly upward toward the lug 9. 6 beyond the outer face of the block, the ends of the links being flush with the said face or within the same. The logs 9 of the links 8 of the block 4 extend beyond the outer face or end of the rib 7, as shown in Fig. 1, and the opposite end of each link in the block 4 is flush with the face of the block or within the plane of the said face.

In the blocks 1-2 and the block .3 each link 8 is provided at the opposite end from the lug 9 with an eye 10, and each block 12 and the block 3 is recessed at the eye as indicated at 11, to receive the eye. The recess is of a depth to receive the eye completely, so that no part of the eye extends beyond the face of the block. The recess 11 of the block 3 is in the rib 6, and the recess is of such depth, that no part of the eye extends beyond the outer face of the rib.

Therecesses 11 are of considerable length blocks 3 and l. Each of vertically, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the said recesses extending far enough above the eyes to permit the engagement of thearranged as shown in Fig. 1, the lugs 9 of over vthe culvert, the blocks will be held. I

. of the block and extending beyond that end each block will engage the eyes 10 of the succeeding block, when the ends of the blocks are abutting, thus locking the blocks together in alinement. a

' The lugs 9 of the block 4: are engaged with the eyes of the adjacent block, and the eyes of the block 12 adjacent to the end block 3 are engaged with the lugs or" the said block and the arrangement in the blocks 3 and i is such that when the links and the lugs are engaged as above specified, the ribs 6 and 7 will fit closely against the adjacent ends of the blocks 1-2. The blocks or sections of the culvert are thus tied firmly together, and it will be evident that when the dirt or other material of the roadway, across which the culvert is laid, is placed firmly from movement in any direction.

The only manner in which the lugs of any one block may be disengaged from the eyes of the adjacent block is by upward movement of the said block with respect to the adjacent block, and there is no such stress on the blocks-when they are in place. The inclined-arrangement of the blocks 12 has a definite function. After the blocks are laid as shown in Fig. 1 and downward pressure comes upon any one block 12, such weight will tend to move the block downward. A portion of the weight is however, carried-by the adjacent block toward which the first-na1ned block leans, and the weight is thus uniformly distributed throughout the length of the culvert.

The end blocks support the culvert and provide a neat finish at the ends of the same. It will be obvious that a culvert of any length may be constructed in this manner, the blocks being joined as shown in Fig. 1. In placing the sections together, each block is raised approximately two inches and moved toward the succeeding block to bring the lugs 9 directly above the openings of the eyes. The block 1s then dropped and as the lugs move into the eyes, the block will be drawn closely into contact with the succeeding block.

In Fig. 5, a .preferred methodof reinforcement for the individual blocks is shown. It will be noted that two rods or bars IQ are used, the said rods being oppositely arranged and, each being bent 1n opposite directions or in zigzag form, the two rodsbeing embedded in the material of the block! Preferably the rods 12 are provided with'ofisets 'or corrugations at close inter vals, and as many pairs of rods arranged as shown in Fig. 5 may be used,'as may be desired. In the blocks 12 the rods would extend entirely around the blocks, while in the blocks 3 and 4, the rods may be at the rib and at other points if desired. Re-

1. A culvert 'comfimed of inwate intermediate section being a frame havingthe desired cross section of the culvert, the tops of the intermediate sectionsv being arched, and the planes of the ends of each of the intermediate blocks being paralleland inclined to the, plane of the base, each of the end blocks being of rectangular form and adapted to fit against the ends of the culvert and each having a transverse opening hav-.

ing the desired cross section of the culvert, eachintermediate block' having at each side of the opening a link extending-transversely whose plane meets the plane of the base at r an obtuse angle, the said ends of the links having depending lugs, each link having an eye at the opposite end of the block and each block being recessed to receive the eye,

each of the end blocks having a rib on its inner face encircling the opening and of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the intermediate blocks, the rib of one end section being of greatest depth at its top and gradually decreasing in depth to- Ward the bottom and therib of ,the other end section being of greatest depth at the bottom of the block and gradually decreasthe hooks of each block are engaged with the eyes of the preceding block, the inclined faces of the blocks will be drawn tighly together to tighten the blocks of the culvert mg in depth toward the top, whereby when against each other, the links of the last-' named end blocks being at the ribs.

2. A culvert composed of intermediate and end blocks orsections of plastic material capable of hardening, each block having a transverse opening, the intermediate blocks having their ends parallel and inclined to the base, each end block having a rib at its inner face encircling the opening and of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the intermediate blocks, the rib of one end block being of greatest depth at the top of the block and decreasing toward the bottom and the rib of the other end block being of greatest depth at the bottom and gradually decreasing toward the top, and means for locking the blocks together, said means comprising links arone end a lug and at the other end an adaptedfor enga ement by the lugs ofadjacent blocks, t e lu s of the links being 50. I capable of hardening and comp-rising inter- "and gradually decreasin ranged transversely of the blocks at each side of the opening, each link having at on that end of the bloc whose plane meets the plane of the base at an obtuse angle,

whereby when the hooks of each block are engaged with the eyes of the preceding block, the inclined faces of the blocks will be drawn tightly together to tighten the blocks of the culvert against each other, and

each block being'recessed at each eye to re ceive thee e.

3. A cu vert composed of intermediate. and end blocksv or sections of plastic material, capable of hardening, each block havingia transverse opening, the intermediate,

blocks having their ends arallel' and inof one end block being of greatest depth at the top of the block and decreasing toward the bottom and the rib of the other end blockbeing of greatest depth at the bottom toward the top, and means for locking t e blocks together. .4. A sectional culvert of plastic material mediate and end blocks or sections, each intermediate section being an open frame and each end section being approximately rectan lar in shape, the intermediate sections having the planes of their ends parallel and inclined to the plane of the base, and each end block having a rib encircling the opening and of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the intermediate block and extending beyond the face of the block to'fit against the adjacent end of the adjacent intermediate section when the end block is upright, and means for locking the blocks together, said means comprising rods or links arranged transversely of the sections at opposite'sides ofthe opening and having a hook extending beyond that end of the base at an o tuse angle, each link or termediate section being an open frame and each end section being approximately rectangular in shape, the intermediate sections having the planes of their'ends parallel and inclined to the plane of the base, and each tending beyond the face of the block to fit against the adjacent end of the adjacent intermediate section when the end block is upend block having a rib encircling-the openingand of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the intermediate block and exright, and means for locking the blocks together, the movement of the inclined faces of the blocks with respect to each other 00-,

operating with the locking means to press the blocks closely. together.

1 6. In a culvert composed of plastic blocks and of sectional form, intermediate sections, the planes of the sections being parallel and inclined to the plane of the base, means for locking the said blocks together, end blocks for completing the culvert, each end block having a transverse opening, and a rib extending from the face of the block around the opening and abutting and fitting the end of the adjacent intermediate block when the end block is upright, the movement of the inclinedfaces of the blocks with respect to each other cooperating with the locking means to press the blocks closely together.

7. A culvert composed of blocks and interlocking mechanism for connecting the WILLIAM HENRY FRANKLIN. Witnesses:

W. C. BALL, A. V. FLUHRER. 

